Will the Pittsburgh Steelers wind up selecting yet another player in this year’s draft with NFL bloodlines? There’s certainly a very good possibility of that happening as this year’s draft class is littered with such type players.
Below is a less than comprehensive list of several 2020 draft hopeful players that have NFL bloodlines. Several were listed in a recent pre-draft press release by the NFL while a few more were added by myself.
| 2020 Draft Class Prospect | NFL Bloodline Explanation |
|---|---|
| WR Collin Johnson | Father, Johnnie, was a 1st round pick by the Rams in 1980 and played 10 seasons |
| LB Clay Johnston | Father, Kent, was an NFL strength and conditioning coach for over 20 years. |
| TE Cole Kmet | Father, Frank, drafted by Bills in 1992. Uncle, Jeff Zgonina, played 17 seasons in NFL, is currently assistant defensive line coach for Redskins. |
| QB Steven Montez | Father, Alfred, spent time with the Raiders. |
| TE Thaddeus Moss | Father, Randy, was a 1st round pick by the Vikings in 1998 and enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018. |
| RB Zack Moss | Cousin of former NFL WR Santana Moss (14 seasons) and Sinorice Moss (4 seasons). |
| DB Julian Okwara | Brother of current Detroit Lions DE Romeo Okwara. |
| WR Aaron Parker | Uncle, Walter Easley, played FB for the 49ers. |
| WR Dezmon Patmon | Uncle, DeWayne Patmon, played LB for the Giants. |
| RB La’Mical Perine | Cousin of current Miami Dolphins RB Samaje Perine and current Jacksonville Jaguars LB Myles Jack. |
| WR Michael Pittman Jr. | Father, Michael, played RB for 11 seasons (Won Super Bowl XXXVII with TB). |
| WR Jalen Reagor | Father, Montae, played DL for 9 seasons (Won Super Bowl XLI with Colts). |
| DB J.R. Reed | Father, Jake, played WR for 12 seasons and his uncle, Dale Carter, played CB for 12 seasons. Cousin of Nigel Warrior. |
| OL Jon Runyan Jr. | Father, Jon, played OL for 14 seasons. |
| OL Alex Taylor | Uncle, Pierson Prioleau, played DB for 12 seasons. |
| K Tommy Townsend | Brother, Johnny, was the Raiders 5th round draft pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. |
| K Michael Turk | Nephew of punter Matt Turk (17 seasons) and OL Dan Turk (15 seasons). |
| DB Nigel Warrior | Father, Dale Carter, played CB for 12 seasons. Cousin of J.R. Reed. |
| WR Cody White | Father, Sheldon, played DB for 6 seasons (Spent 19 years with the Detroit Lions front office). |
| DB Antoine Winfield Jr. | Father, Antoine, was a 1st round pick by the Bills in 1999 and played 14 NFL seasons. |
| WR Van Jefferson | Father, Shawn Jefferson, caught 470 passes over 13 NFL seasons and has been an NFL assistant coach since 2006. |
| OL Charlie Heck | Father, Andy Heck spent 12 NFL seasons as a tackle in the NFL and is currently entering his 17th season as an NFL offensive line coach. |
| DB Trevon Diggs | Brother of current Buffalo Bills WR Stefon Diggs. |
It’s certainly easy to connect the dots from a few of the players listed above to the Steelers. For starters, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings in 2006 and coached Antoine Winfield, father of safety Antoine Winfield Jr., who is expected to be a top 50 selection this year. Additionally, Tomlin was on the coaching staff of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for several seasons while Michael Pittman, father of wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., was a running back on the team. The younger Pittman, like the younger Winfield, is expected to be a top 50 selection next weekend.
Quite a few Steelers draft selections over the course of the last decade have NFL bloodlines and that list of players includes Cameron Heyward, T.J. Watt, Devin Bush, Terrell Edmunds, Anthony Chickillo and Benny Snell Jr., just to name a few.
